The use of shoulder strips on luggage is widespread. Generally such shoulder straps must be removably connected to the article so that they can be detached from the article, for example, for air travel and whenever the luggage is to be placed upon a conveyor or the like. For that purpose, it has been the practice to provide at the end of the strap, a metal clip which can be actuated by the user to engage in a D-ring or the like attached to the article of luggage by a fabric loop. This system has the significant drawback that the clip has a tendency to break when subjected to excessive stress, may wear excessively at an eye of the clip where it slidingly engages the D-ring, especially if the clip is made of a material other than that of the D-ring, and upon breakage may present a sharp-edged fracture portion which can be dangerous to the user.
In fact, in the removal of such straps, the clip end frequently swings upwardly into the face of the user or a bystander and, in many instances, upon rupture of the clip, a similar accident can occur. Every year there are cases in which a user or bystander is injured, e.g. blinded, by the free end of the strap and the intact or broken clip.